1. Australia & New Zealand Higher Education
Destination Coffees
April 21, 2011

2. Why Australia/ New Zealand?
Why not? – Australia and New Zealand are some of the best places to live while you learn
In comparison to other countries, cost of higher education is affordable; international students can often work on a student visa
Strong international reputation for excellence – standings in world rankings of research universities
Great preparation for future success
Multicultural societies with English-speaking cultures
Built in 6 month “gap” experience

3. What To Think About
Australian universities operate separate admissions procedures for domestic and international students.
Many Australian universities have intakes in both Semester 1 (February/March) and Semester 2 (July). Applications submitted in September for February intake.
Faculty Admissions Committees often set specific subject requirements and selection procedures relating to particular degree courses.
You may direct entry to Law or Medicine
Standard university degree is 3 years
Although some courses at some institutions operate strict quotas (and particular application procedures will apply) most courses operate on a “rolling” admissions basis in that selection decisions are made as applications from international students are received.
Because of southern hemisphere, school year begins in Feb. Apps submitted in September. A few universities will take in July. Works better for WAB calendar, students will be out of sync.
Majority are Feb entrants, housing may be limited in semester 2 entry.
Question to ask is when does your program begin at that school and when do you want to start.
Need to think about what will you do for 9 months.

4. Australian Unis
There are different types of universities in Australia: the "Group of 8" research universities (ANU, Monash, Universities of Adelaide, Melbourne, Western Australia, Queensland, Sydney, South Wales)
Technology universities (RMIT, Curtin, University of South Australia, University of Technology Sydney, Queensland University of Technology)
Universities that focus on undergraduate teaching (Edith Cowan, University of Canberra, Central Queensland, Charles Sturt)
TAFE (Technical and Further Education) Colleges and Institutes: Vocational education institutions, sometimes bridging institutions between high schools and universities.
Admission criteria will differ among these groups, and even from one university to another.

5. New Zealand Unis
New Zealand has 8 Universities (University of Auckland, University of Waikato, Victoria University of Wellington, Canterbury University, University of Auckland, University of Otago, Lincoln University, Massey University)
25 Polytechnics and/or Institutes of Technology (Auckland Institute of Technology, Central Institute of Technology, Christchurch Polytechnic, Waikato Polytechnic)
What is the difference between Universities and Polytechnics and Institutes of Technology?
Historically the main difference had been that Universities focused on academic programmes and the Polytechnics focused on practical training.
Taylors Auckland Foundation Year (TAFY) designed to prepare you for entry into the University of Auckland, AUT University and Massey University.

6. General Requirements
Secondary School Leaving Certificate: Prefer IB diploma, but also possible to enter with a High School Diploma and scores from SAT (for non- citizens)
Language proficiency: Prefer the IELTS, but may take TOEFL
Foundation Year: Also possible to do a Foundation Year if you don’t meet general requirements
IELTS is required for Australian immigration – either is okay for admission

7. Application Process New Zealand – Apply directly to each institution.
Australia - Australian citizens and permanent residents apply through the tertiary admissions centre in the state in which they plan to study
IB students – convert your IB score to the tertiary leaving exam score equivalent to see what minimum points are required for each course, at each uni

8. Tertiary Admissions Centers
New South Wales – University Admissions Centre (UAC)
Queensland – Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC)
South Australia – South Aus. Tertiary Adms. Centre (SATAC)
Western Australia – Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC)
Victoria – Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC)
Tertiary admissions centers for Australian, New Zealand, permanent residents only

9. Sample IB:ATAR score conversion table

11. Resources
colleges.shtml
er_Education/Colleges_and_Universities/
zealand.html
- IDP ( International Development Program) Education Australia. IDP is a semiprivate company set up by Australian universities and their government and serves as a “one stop shop for Australian education.”

12. Advice from WAB families
Residence is very difficult to get – think about shared housing and start looking before you apply.
Important: which city, lifestyle do you want?
Think carefully about your “gap” semester
Keep an open mind, especially when returning to your home country
Aussie unis moving towards more general education in first year – to help retain students
For example, Monash will move to a 4-year degree in 2012

13. Q & A Ms. Bernie Longboy A-I Mr. Peter Hauet J-M
Ms. Aleka Novitski Bilan
N-T
Ms. Michelle Chow-Liu
U-Z